Devil's Third Discussed By Itagaki

"Totally Different" To The Game Shown Last Year

Remember Devil's Third? We previewed Tomonobu Itagaki's latest game since splitting from Tecmo way back last Summer, and since then only a single trailer has been released. To his credit, Itagaki did admit the game was at the 10% mark, as his new studio Valhalla and publishers THQ worked hard to beat the project into shape. However, at the Tokyo Game Show this past week, Itagaki has been shedding more light on Devil's Third to select Japanese magazines, kindly translated by the ever-dependable Andriasang.

First off, Itagaki reveals that he'd originally planned to demo Devil's Third to the press at E3 2011. However, upon consulting with publishers THQ, they'd both decided it was in the best interests of the game not to show it. However, the game has not been delayed, as it was always planned for a 2013 release date, which is still a way off.

However, in the meantime Itagaki hopes to conduct a closed beta for Devil's Third's nebulous multiplayer mode. Planned for a late 2012 release, the closed beta would then extend to a public beta so Itagaki can gather feedback from hardcore and casual fans. On the subject of multiplayer, Itagaki revealed that they've upped the player count to 25, and are stress-testing online modes with latency issues like packet loss. While Itagaki promises a minimum of 16 players, he and the team at Valhalla is aiming for 32.

You can expect all the standard shooter modes in Devil's Third, from deathmatch to team deathmatch, but Itagaki teased a few "unique" offerings, too. He also explained that the freedom shooters offer in comparison to fighters with their scope and scale has allowed Valhalla to play around with "interesting design rules".

But what's Devil's Third all about? As detailed in our preview, it's set in the near future when orbital debris becomes such a problem that it causes the dreaded 'Kessler Syndrome" to happen. Satellites no longer function, IT services will go dead and even commercial flight won't be possible. This triggers a shift in the balance of power worldwide, and concept art so far paints a very bleak picture.

Finally, Itagaki was asked for his response to the Dead or Alive 5 announcement. Having created the series way back when at Tecmo before he was fired, it's curious to hear what Itagaki has to say on the series he's often referred to as his "baby". However, either he's playing it very coy or Itagaki has avoided all Tecmo press releases, as he claims not to have been aware of Dead or Alive 5's existence, and as such is "not in a position to comment".

However, he did liken the situation to handing off a daughter for marriage, so he can only "hope that she is given happiness". Come on, Itagaki! Where's the headline in that. You used to be so cool and controversial... [Andriasang]